Hello out there,
I'm eager to hear from anyone who has inside information on the Toronto ESL market. At the moment I'm considering a change of locale due to (among other things) the nature of the San Francisco Bay Area ESL situation with its dearth of full-time positions, benefits, etc. I suppose I should mention that I hold a MA in TESOL and have several years of experience in ESL and teacher training in the US and Mexico.

I'm wondering...
1...whether I would just find more of the same: lots of students in need but few positions offering more than just the "supplementary" income suitable for people who don't really have to work but do so as something of a hobby, people who don't have any need for insurance, sick days, and so on. Casting the net so often and having no idea what my financial situation will be in the near future is taking its toll on my diminishing ambiguity tolerance!
2...what it's like for US nationals to secure job offers. I do have Canadian roots, most closely a father who became a US citizen in the last few years (@#!$$&!), which may be of help. I would certainly consider becoming a Canadian citizen, especially with this Bush nonsense going on.

Please let me know if you can help with these questions. I welcome any other useful information as well.

cj100--- I am sorry to report that the local ESL market is pretty dire---- AT THE MOMENT. You would certainly find a job with your advanced certs under normal circumstances, because there is a big ESL sector here, but right now the state of play is anything but normal. Tourism from the US is down forty to fifty percent, hotels and restaurants are laying off staff, and ESL schools are reporting cancellations. I'm not saying you won't find a job, but let's put it this way: we've been SARSED. Having said that, try dave's link page for info about current vacancies in esl for new canadians , namely with the board of education. Best of luck.

You're not going to have any luck finding an ESL job in Toronto through Dave's ESL cafe. However, despite the impact of SARS on the ESL teaching industry here in Toronto (quite a few smaller, independent schools have already gone under), the best thing to do is apply to the Toronto District School Board or LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers) as a supply teacher; once you are on the supply list, you are eligible to apply for any of the full-time TDSB positions that become available, these generally pay about $30 CAD per hour and have excellent benefits.

If you are already in Toronto, I would suggest looking in the Yellow Pages under Schools - Language, then checking out the website or calling each place to get the name of the person in charge of hiring, then send out CUSTOMIZED personal cover letters & resumes to each school you want to apply to. Most of the private language schools in the city don't offer benefits, except for Language School of Canada, Global Village, English School of Canada, and maybe ILSC (International Language School of Canada). AVOID GEOS. If you want to supplement your income, there are many students here looking for private tutors, especially in the Korean community. I am starting at new position at EF Canada on Monday, which looks like a great place to work, and I'm really excited about it! With your qualifications, you should also check out these websites:

i was offered a job in toronto last week.
25 hrs/wk, 2000/mth, before taxes. they contract teachers out, meaning you have to do your own taxes, etc. however, you can often claim a part of your rent and other expenses, because you are self-employed.

the kicker is that rent in toronto is quite high; i've decided to go for a job in montreal. the toronto market depends on foreign students, so their bumper time is summer; things slow down in the fall. montreal has a local market of francophones wanting to learn english, and most language schools also teach french, so they stay balanced, business wise.

the yellow pages are available online, with links to emails or web pages for schools that have them.
i think the URL is
[url]areaconnect.com[/url], but otherwise do a yahoo search for yellow pages.